Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Area Studies Master's Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Area Studies Master's Degree Schools in California

14 Colleges
$46,380 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Area Studies Master's Degree School for You

Area Studies is the #98 most popular major in California with 879 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Area Studies Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in California to see which master's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Area Studies program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Area Studies Master's Degree Colleges.

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the most popular school in California for area studies students working on their master’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Of the 28 students majoring in area studies at Stanford, 29% are male and 71% are female.

Read full report on Area Studies at Stanford University

#2

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of San Francisco is a great place for area studies students working on their master’s degree. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

Women make up 76% of the area studies majors at the school.

Full Area Studies at University of San Francisco Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Of the 17 students majoring in area studies at USC, 41% are male and 59% are female.

Full Area Studies at University of Southern California Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Area Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

About 63% of the students majoring in area studies at the school are women while 38% are male.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

Out of the 14 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 11 students majoring in area studies at UCLA, 45% are male and 55% are female.

Full Area Studies at University of California - Los Angeles Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for area studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 8 students majoring in area studies at Cal State Fullerton, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Read full report on Area Studies at California State University - Fullerton

#6

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

With a ranking of #6, Pepperdine University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for area studies students working on their master’s degree. Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Malibu.

Women make up 63% of the area studies majors at the school.

Read full report on Area Studies at Pepperdine University

With a ranking of #6, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for area studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

About 63% of the students majoring in area studies at the school are women while 38% are male.

Read full report on Area Studies at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for area studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 6 students majoring in area studies at CSULB, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Read More…

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree area studies programs. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

Women make up 40% of the area studies majors at the school.

Read More…

Best Area Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Area Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 236
Oregon 56
Nevada 4
Hawaii 57
Alaska 1

One of 2 majors within the area of study, area studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Area Studies

Related Major Annual Graduates
Ethnic Studies 9,231
Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies (Other) 46

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Karl Udo Gerth.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.